Metallic ribbon, such as that made of aluminum, is typically used in aircraft construction to form components, such as stringers. Generally, the metallic ribbon undergoes a series of heat treatments (e.g., annealing and quenching) before being formed into predetermined shapes. Before being heat treated, the metallic ribbon is pre-formed, such that “waves” or “crinkles” are defined in the ribbon. The pre-formed ribbon is then wound onto large spools. The “waves” or “crinkles” in the metallic ribbon form gaps between adjacent layers of the wound material such that heat transfer to and from the ribbon is improved during heat-treating steps. Conventionally, spools of pre-formed metallic ribbon are individually transferred between the various pieces of heat-treating equipment, which can be a time-consuming and laborious task. Moreover, pre-forming the metallic ribbon substantially increases the diameter of wound spools. Accordingly, heat-treating equipment, such as furnaces and quench tanks, must be up-sized to accommodate the spools of pre-processed metallic ribbon, thus creating space and efficiency concerns.